With three candidates remaining in the Toronto Mayoral Election, and only two with a reasonable chance of winning, voters are forced to consider voting with the minds instead of their hearts. Just witness two recent editorials from the Torontoist and Now magazine suggesting voters "hold their nose" and vote for Smitherman versus Joe Pantalone, the most left-leaning candidate whom aligns with their traditional editorial stance.

So is all of this talk of strategic voting having any impact? Building on our comprehensive analysis of the Toronto Mayoral Race (dating back to June) I conducted some basic key word analysis using phrases like "strategic voting", "vote strategically" , "anyone but Ford" etc. to determine if this movement was gaining any traction.

Strategic Voting Discussion, Sept 25 to October 24

In reviewing the findings, we definitely see talk of strategic voting escalating leading into today's election. The conversation was kicked off in earnest as readers reacted to an article posted by The Star on October 6 . After a brief lull, people are obviously thinking about it now that they must seriously consider where they'll be placing their X today.